Howard Among Becker’s ‘135 Nonprofit Hospital and Health System CEOs to Know’
Monday, November 21, 2016
Tanner President and CEO Loy Howard earned the distinction this November of being named by Becker’s Hospital Review as one of 2016’s “135 Nonprofit Hospital and Health System CEOs to Know.”
According to Becker’s, the healthcare executives on the list “lead some of the largest, most successful and prominent nonprofit healthcare organizations in the country.” The selections for the list were based on the judgment of the healthcare periodical’s editorial staff, based in part on nominations the newsletter received.
Only three other health system CEOs in Georgia — Kevin Brown, of Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta; Maggie Gill, of Memorial Health in Savannah; and John Haupert, of Grady Health System in Atlanta — and one in Alabama, William Ferniany with UAB Health System in Birmingham, made the list.
Howard has served as president and CEO of Tanner Health System for more than 20 years, growing the organization from a small two-hospital health system to a regional destination for health comprised of four — and with the construction of the new hospital in Wedowee, Ala., expected to be completed in the fall of 2017, five — hospitals and 30 medical practices throughout six counties in Georgia and Alabama.
Howard has dramatically expanded Tanner’s cancer care services, cardiac services — now featuring two regional destinations for PCI treatment and two regional accredited chest pain centers in what remains a largely rural area — community wellness programs, inpatient and outpatient behavioral health services and more. He has also partnered with other community leaders to develop an innovative program to introduce county school students to careers at Tanner, help the University of West Georgia expand its nursing program with the Tanner Health System School of Nursing, and helped establish Tanner’s innovative Get Healthy, Live Well community health initiative.
Most recently, Howard led Tanner to its place among Truven Health Analytics’ 15 Top Health Systems for the third consecutive year and the fourth time in five years. He was a 2014 recipient of the Georgia Hospital Association’s Chairman’s Award, and has been named among Becker’s “50 Rural Hospital CEOs to Know.”